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Video 32: Paper and Watercolors – Part 2!

Have you ever somehow forgotten to put sunscreen on one spot and ended up walking around with a natural tattoo on your cheek?

Luc and André spend a good amount of time being read to or reading themselves. They pay attention to the illustrations and we often wonder about what kinds of processes illustrators go through before the final product reaches the libraries’ and bookstores’ shelves. We sometimes take a “picture walk” to see what the story is about and take guesses at which materials were used in the illustrations. In Paper and Watercolors – Part 1 you saw the children appreciating color and making comparisons between the original version of their pictures and the final (fully colored) version. In Part 2 we’ll look at another way to explore the same medium.

The idea of blocking a portion of the paper from getting paint on is quite a cool concept for children! They really don’t quite know what the final picture will look like until the tape is removed from the paper. And, depending on the project, this could take a few days.

Luc experimented with two pieces of tape to see whether it would make a difference or not – it didn’t. He also used regular scotch tape and it didn’t work either: the first time around, the tape was a bit loose and the paint leaked underneath it; the second time, the tape was so firmly stuck that it ripped the paper when he pulled it off. Trial and error with lots of time to explore were all that were needed, and drafting tape and painter’s tape eventually did the trick! André watched all this experimentation closely offering his two cents here and there.

Set-Up for Episode #32:

Watercolors (found in art supply stores, or office supply stores)

Sponge

Paint brushes with soft bristles

Tape (drafting or painter’s tape – or any tape that is “kind” to paper)

We use a regular set of watercolors.

The sponge helps clear excess water.

On one side, a clue:

On the other, a treasure map!

André’s ship without the tape.

And he decided to fill in some of the blank spaces:

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